`He himself was the music'
YAMINI KRISHNAMURTI
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Remembering Ustad Bismillah Khan, the man and his art.
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Photo: PTI
IN THEIR HEYDAY Celebrated dancer Yamini Krishnamurti with the ustad at an award ceremony
I shared many stages with Khan Saheb in the 1970s. I travelled a lot with him. He had a large entourage of seven or eight people. His smiling face was very encouraging whenever the plane misbehaved, since I used to be very scared when the aircraft shook due to turbulence! He had a great stock of jokes. He was childlike and also had a deep profundity, due to his long journey through art. Both his music and his human side were very appealing, adorable.
Usually on tours, I would perform first, and then he would play. Once in Russia, on Id, he wanted to begin his performance only after seeing the moon. But the moon could not be sighted, so he delayed his entry on to the stage. I had to extend my programme. I kept looking towards the wings to see if he had arrived. Later he thanked me and praised me for holding the audience.
I felt honoured to be sharing the stage with such a great artiste. It was also a challenge. In those days I was just coming up. But Khan Saheb was very fond of dance. He took interest in all aesthetic performances, was always encouraging. He was a very positive man, very enthusiastic. Such people always have a very good influence on their fellow artistes.
A complete person
His music was something very powerful. I must say, what I like is that he lived such a fulfilled life. His perception was mystical, saintly, but at the same time full of life, and he was aware of day-to-day affairs. He never missed anything. He was a complete human being!
Photo: PTI
THE SANDS OF TIME Sudarsan Pattnaik on a beach in Orissa working on a sand sculpture of Ustad Bismillah Khan in tribute to the maestro's memory.
For instance, organisers have a way of bargaining over the artistes' fees. An organiser told me Khan Saheb once humorously replied, "If you don't pay me in full, I will play false notes!" I took this as a guideline, so that whenever organisers bargained with me, I would also say I would dance less well if they wanted to pay me less.
Khan Saheb never stayed in five-star hotels. In every city he had a preferred place to stay. When abroad of course, we stayed in the same hotel, but I remember once in Kolkata, I was put up in a five-star and I asked, "Where is Khan Saheb?" I was told, you won't find him anywhere near here, he has his own place to stay. He loved to meet his friends. Perhaps the hotel owner was his friend.
Riyaaz was his life, as for any (true) artiste. More than the performance, you enjoy the (experience of) rehearsing. He was a man who overcame adversity. He had that power due to his faith in music, or in his fate perhaps.
Khan Saheb was free from all prejudices. He was just a human being, and in that freedom he found great joy and love for other human beings. Through his divine music he felt the whole universe was his family.
Beyond teaching
Sometimes I wonder why his family never took up music seriously. There are artistes who promote their own kith and kin. Some of them I don't appreciate much, because they don't teach beyond their own khaandaan. But Khan Saheb never believed in passing on his music through someone else. He himself was the music. That is the height of evolution. But everyone can't do that. Some things cannot be transmitted, like other lesser teachers do.
Another thing about him was that he never left Varanasi. Somebody wanted him to settle in America, and he said, "Okay, if you can bring the Ganga there, I will come." He loved the Ganga. He was a gift from God. His genius was so consummate, his passion for music so complete that his music filled one's life with sheer bliss. He did what no one before or since has been able to achieve. It is impossible to fill the void created by his death. He was the ultimate in excellence. I remember him with great fondness and gratitude.
(As told to Anjana Rajan)
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